The loft is obviously really hot, surely if it’s too hot it can heat the rooms below?

Winter it gets somewhat cold but we have quality central heating so maybe don’t notice the poor insulation so much.

if you’re a business user you’d better off taking the finance on a newer van IMO

Yes business owner but it’s still early days yet, I’m almost certain things will work for me but I’m not 100% on taking a four lease just yet,
Tempting as it is.

Thoughts on this find?

Guy was uncertain when his cambelt was changed, odd as he claims to be only owner, said nothing on paperwork, must have been done privately.

:? :? :?

Needless to say that van is no longer a consideration.

Just had a quick look at Vivaros and this seems remarkably good value by comparison…
2014 van, FSH, no VAT(?), 58k, but is Cat D

Am I to harsh a critic of the Vivaro? I’ve had one terrible experience with one and reading various other reviews it would appear theres issues with them, but what percentage of Vivaros are bad?
There are a few that rate them….

I’m changing my user name to deathtovivaros
:lol:

I’m well aware that if I buy a low mileage Vivaro with my budget I’ll have a good chance of having few issues but I’ve got a better chance with a vw, plus the value will drop quicker with a Vivaro.

I don’t trust them!

Thoughts on this find?

He’s checking when cambelt was last done and has admitted he may have undervalued the van.

The clutch is apparently as good as new too.

Local-ish, think I’ll take a look.

One thing I have noted is that Within the £6-8 budget most vans still have their VAT,
The Transporters generally already have the VAT paid, this cancels out the scene tax.

It wasn’t as convenient as you might think.

Still better than 2 seats

I’ve owned my Vivaro for four or five years now and I don’t think I’ve had any non-routine bills.

The way I see it is Vivaro/Trafic vans tend to have a bad reputation, when you search for reviews what you’re finding is a small proportion of owners who have had bad experiences who feel the the need to warn others, if you were to ask all Vivaro owners most would have positive things to say,
I understand this one of my mates drives a Vivaro, like you never had any major issues,
However their is an obvious increase in bad vans,
I’ve already had the misfortune of owning on of the few bad ones,
I’m not really willing to go down the Vivaro path again, shame because I could get a great spec van.

Like you, I find plenty of reasons (even silly little ones) for not buying anything that is not a transporter, and lots of great reasons for getting the VW

Not really, I’m almost dead set on a Toyota Hiace but it has to be the right one,
Their reliability has me almost sold but I’m struggling to find one worth parting money with,
There are plenty more VW Transporters in the market,
They are obviously very good vans so I have to consider them,
Have you considered a Transit?

Also not keen on their rear windows as a standard!

You’ll be fine then – Vauxhall Vivaro’s are made in Luton.

Really? Still a PSA designed vehicle,
My last van was a Vivaro, granted it was the first model that came out, 2001 and it caused me no end of problems,

nv200 too small?

Yes and no, bigger than the original Connect LWB I was looking at but as I’ve an increased budget and our first baby due in 5 weeks, I’m keen to get a three seater van for convenience.
When you look from the outside it’s hard to see how the nv200 can provide the load space it claims.

Hyundai iLoad

Very few on the market, within reasonable distances, I’ve found one.

proace

Yup, expert/dispatch mk4, steering well clear.

Vivaro

I have a deep mistrust for French built vehicles but you’re correct I could get something rather high spec for the money,
Would I end up paying that extra money in repair bills? Probably.

it’s not been without some problems

Anything major?

Too much scene tax.

Looking at the cost of between a Transporter and a Hiace of similar mileage and age, there might be an extra £500-£1000 in difference on some vans but generally there’s not much in it,
I don’t mind spending the money if it’s going to be a good van.

It’s was mentioned earlier that any Transporter at £7k will either be high mileage or have undisclosed issues,
Can we confirm this?

I do love the look of the Transporter and would be looking at one with around 120k on the clock.

Yup, I’d be looking beyond the rusty models but my main concern is the cost of maintenance, anyone have any experience?

I’m dead set on a Hiace, almost had my hands on a cracking 2010 ex MOD model last weekend but someone got in there before me,
It seems decent hiaces are hard to come by,
Trying to broaden my choices,
What’s People’s take on the Vito? Expensive to run/maintenance? Reliable?

To help(?) with the Scudo / Dispatch / Expert (and lately Proace)

After doing the research, I’m almost definitely staying clear of these vans, The Mark 1/2 appear to be slightly better but within my budget I can get better than these vans,
Theres a significant number of owners who have bad things to say about the mk3,
I’ve already lost plenty of money to a french built van,
I’m not willing to risk more.

The Berlingo has much better feedback but is far too small for my needs.

The Nissan is tempting but still has the french engine although feedback is again much fairer, it also suits my needs bar only having 2 seats.

I’m now looking towards a Hiace, everywhere I read is extremely positive.
I can work around the RWD as my work is all urban.
the MPG and the Insurance costs are the only marginal downfalls but they appear to be only marginal.

I’m short and I read that the Hiace drivers seat doesn’t move much? I’m looking at the last model of Hiace.

rear wheel drive as standard? Hows it handle in bad weather?

A Toyota Hiace, as recommended near the top of the page.

Just reading some reviews, Does appear to be highly renowned.
Ugly as hell van but if my 04 Yaris (which I’m currently using) is anything to go by, Toyota are pretty reliable.

Plenty of 5 year old ex British Gas Caddy Maxis for under 7K. Air con but all with 1.6 motor and roughly 80K miles. For the money though I am thinking a 2 year younger vivaro is still the more practical and better value choice. Any T5 you can buy for 7K will be either starship miles or ropey in some other (undisclosed) way

Yup, I quite like the Caddy but the load height is a tad little short for my needs and they don’t do a high top version :|

I’m really put of the vivaro/trafic vans, I’ve read the newer 2014 models are vastly improved but just outside my budget,
That said, What I can get for the money on the mk1 model is pretty good,
I just can’t trust it’ll be reliable for me.

Yeah, I’m thinking the Transporter is vastly over valued.

Nissan NV200’s require cambelt changes at very early intervals – 60k or every 5 years. So check for, or budget/haggle on this if you choose one.

Not ideal but the cost of a kit is no more expensive than other vans.
Has highlighted that its essentially a Renault engine despite Nissan moving away from the Renault alliance. :? :|

After reading many drivers/owners reviews I’ve come no closer to making a decision,
The Citreon/Peugeot/Fiat Vans are look a mess.

What if I increased my budget?

What Van could I get with £7k? I’m able to take finance out to help invest foir the correct vehicle

Transporters start to show up but with high mileage, 130k+
Any good or just a status?

The Nissan NV200 looks good, spacious and perfect for my urban driving,

I’d love to stretch to £10k for a Transit Custom, they appear to be perfect for my needs.

So what’s People’s take on the mk3?!

Just to confirm this is the mk2???

For some reason I can’t post link to image?!
http://www.vansa2z.com/images/stories/Van_Pictures/560x315Format/Fiat/scudo-2010-bg1.jpg

I hear that the 1.6l engine is as with many vehicles a false economy and often better to get the larger ltr engine, in this case the 2ltr,
My work means the van would be short urban journeys throughout the day,
I figure the 1.6l would still be a better option for me?

There appears to be no big differences between the fiat, Citroen and Peugeot..oh and Toyota Proace other than small feature changes?

Just to clarify the mk2 dispatch/expert/scudo
Is this one ???

I’m really put off by the French vehicles, am i wrong in thinking parts are generally more expensive?

The devil is lining paper.

Your diamond matt topcoat needs time to cure that’s all. Durable/Scrubbable emulsions are mostly based around acrylic resins and can take up to 30 days in some instances to cure fully before being able to be wiped, cleaned down or attacked with tape for that matter

Your mist coat sounds fine if it hasn’t pulled off with the tape. Just follow the instructions on the back of the tubs of paint and you can’t go far wrong. Dusting and cleaning down the plaster prior to the mistcoat is also best practice to prevent adhesion issues.

This gives me confidence that I’m heading in the correct direction, Ta :wink:

I started this thread on various other forums and reading other similar threads its amazing how much conflicting information there really is on the subject of painting decorating,
I’m almost certain no one actually knows what they’re doing.
The one thing that can truly tell me whats going on is my walls.
Thanks for the help so far, I’ve found it useful if not conflicting!

Can you talk us through the masking tape test.

Masking tape on the paint, Pull it, if it leaves the paint on, its said that you’ve done things correctly, If it pulls paint off, I guess i’ve either done it incorrectly OR too soon,
If you peel it and you see pink goo, Call the Ghostbusters.
To be honest its something I’ve done to determine if I’m painting correctly,
I suspect a Painter decorator may laugh at me….

I applied the watered down diamond (which is water based) about 4 hours after completing the mist.
Does a mist coat really require 2-3 weeks to dry before painting the top coats?

Can I apply another coat of diluted contract matt now?

Of all the trades and various jobs, Misting onto plaster seems to have the most varied amount of conflicting information,

It covers well but it is very chalky and I’ve sanded it very lightly between coats before.

This, Seems to adhered to the plaster fairly well and I would have done better at a 60/40,
Now sanded down, not to plaster but its ironed out imperfections and made the most amount of mess!

If I wipe down with a damp cloth, I’ll no doubt have to wait another 24hrs for the walls to dry again!

Hell of lesson but it sure beats lining paper!

Sanding down the current mist coat (What a mess!!!) and I think its maybe not as bad as i initially thought, Yes I can scratch it off in places but much of it isn’t to bad,

Going to sand down where it comes off easily, brush and vacuum the dust way before applying a 50/50 diamond, hoping this adheres a tad better.

Masking tape test is literally put some tape on, peel it off after a few seconds,

Sorry, I thought you meant the whole lot was peeling off back to plaster. How long had you let the diamond stuff dry for, it may need longer.

Nope just the diamond, Did it around 7pm yesterday, Tried tape test this morning…..

As said Mist coat is pretty solid, However If I put a scraper to it with force, the mist coat will come off,

I suspect the answer of not watery enough is correct….

Moving forward, Sand down and apply another mist coat, more watery than the first?

I’ve just checked the the mist coat on the walls and it seems solid, not scratching or peeling at all,
1-9 is thick but as said, I had watered down a little more, It took around ten minutes for the wall to touch dry but could defo see it soaking in….

Surely if the ration wasn’t watery enough, the mist coat would come off as well as the diamond?
How does the mist coat and top coat best ahere to each other?

I don’t think you put enough water in your mist coat. I’m not a painter and decorator but I think I used more like 2:1 paint to water, very thin. It needs to soak in rather than form a coat

I’m only going by recommendations by Leyland and various other painter decorators on the interweb….

I must admit When I first started to put the 1-9 ratio on I thought it was a tad dry, I watered it down a little more, It seemed to “soak” into the plaster and doing the Masking tape test, the Mist coat stays on the wall, its only the diamond paint which is removed.

I’ve used my 26″ Dialled Bikes Prince Albert which I can also take out on the trails! the slicker the tires the better.

£150 for a days rate plus materials,
I’m a handyman/qualified carpenter.

If its simply replacing them, I’d charge £50 plus materials, That said if you’re just replacing them, do it yourself.

i dont think the man holding a vivaro is in any place to comment about french vehicles.

Lol, absolutely, Only as I used to drive a Peugeot 106, Silly expensive for parts of its class,
My wifes Yaris (of which I’m currently using for the business) may be of Japanese design but was made in France, because of this, almost all parts I’ve purchased have a 10-20% up mark on them,

I’m skeptical of French vehicles.

trail_rat You seem to be up on mechanics and vehicles alike,
Whats your trade?